Houston senior libero O'Dell honored by American Athletic Conference

Published 11:11 am, Tuesday, June 21, 2016

HOUSTON - University of Houston senior libero Olivia O’Dell was honored as one of the 2015-16 American Athletic Conference Institutional Female Scholar-Athletes.

“Olivia is an outstanding example of a high level student-athlete. She works hard on and off the court and is committed excellence in all that she does,” Head Coach Kaddie Platt said. “I am so happy that Olivia is honored for her hard work and devotion. I am honored to have coached her and know she will do great things.”

O’Dell was the Cougars starting libero when she broke the school record for the most digs in a single season (701) while also maintaining a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester. She graduated in May with a degree in Supply Chain Management and a 3.91 cumulative GPA.

She has been named to the 2013-14 and 2014-15 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Teams, and has earned a spot on the Dean’s list all eight semesters through her collegiate career.

O’Dell was also named to the All-Conference second team for her outstanding season and earned the league’s defensive player of the week honor four times, the most by any Cougar since joining the American.

Faculty Athletic Representatives at each American Athletic Conference institution, in consultation with the Director of Athletics and appropriate athletic academic advisors, nominated one female candidate for an Institutional Scholar-Athlete Scholarship. All nominees must have maintained both excellent academic credentials (minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.00) and outstanding athletic performance; must have competed in an American Athletic Conference-sponsored sport; and must have attained a minimum of senior standing, as determined by the respective institution.

This award marks the second individual academic honor for Houston Volleyball. Kadi Kullerkann was named the American Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014-15.